ED questioned Sonia Gandhi for 6 hours, summoned again tomorrow: Key points India News – Times of India

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi Appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday for his second round of questioning Money laundering The matter is related to the National Herald newspaper. She reached the ED office at around 11 am with Z plus armed security personnel and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The ED recorded Sonia’s statement for about two and a half hours after which the Congress President left for a short pause. She re-joined the ED office at 3.30 pm and left the agency’s office in central Delhi just before 7 pm after six hours of questioning.
Sonia has been asked to appear before the ED again on Wednesday for further questioning.
On July 21, the investigating agency questioned the Congress President for about two hours. According to sources, more than two dozen questions were asked to Sonia Gandhi (75), after which she asked to go home for her medicine.
National Herald Case Live Updates

Here is the latest developments:
Rahul led Congress, detained
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several party MPs were detained by the Delhi Police at Vijay Chowk on Tuesday after they staged a protest against the ED’s questioning of Sonia.
Rahul said, “India one police state, Modi one king.” Wayanad MPs and other Congress leaders gathered at Vijay Chowk to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan to draw the President’s attention to the alleged misuse of agencies by the government. Rahul was made to sit in the police bus but the officials did not say where he was being taken.

Gandhi said, “I am not going anywhere. We wanted to go towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. But the police is not giving us permission.”
Several other Congress MPs were detained at the Vijay Chowk protest site and taken to different police buses.
“We are protesting as per the instructions of the police. All this is a conspiracy by PM Modi and Amit Shah to completely destroy the opposition and suppress our voice. We will not be afraid, our fight will continue,” said the Congress leader and opposition leader. Leader Mallikarjun Kharge said.

Priyanka, Rahul reach ED office with Sonia
Sonia, who was recently diagnosed with Kovid, was in the probe agency’s office along with her daughter and Congress General Secretary Priyanka. While Priyanka stayed at the ED office, Rahul left soon after.
Officials said Priyanka was in another room of the ED office so that she could meet her mother and provide her medicines or medical aid if needed.
Priyanka had gone with her mother last week and was allowed to stay at the agency’s ‘Pravartana Bhawan’ headquarters, away from the interrogation room, so that she could stay with her mother and provide medicines in case of health problems.

Delhi Police assaults Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas
Delhi Police personnel were on Tuesday seen grabbing Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas Biwi’s hair and forcibly putting her in a vehicle in protest against the ED’s interrogation of Sonia.
Srinivas was seen shouting and resisting the police’s efforts to subdue him.

Opposition parties sent memo to President Murmu regarding disruption in Parliament
Opposition parties have sent a memorandum to President Draupadi Murmu, expressing “serious concern that Parliament is not functioning properly since the commencement of its monsoon session on 18 July”.
From day one, opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on price rise, inflation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on food items, which the government is saying is up for debate once “Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asks Covid recovers and returns to Parliament.”

Day 1 Quiz – Sonia seeks 28 marks on AJL’s acquisition
Sonia was questioned on July 21 on 28 points related to the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of the National Herald and other Congress organs, along with its assets by Young Indian, a company in which Sonia and her son Rahul are owned. majority share. , Sonia and Rahul have been on bail since 2015, when a Delhi court took cognizance of offenses against them under sections 420 and 120B of the IPC, which were the basis of the ED’s case under the PMLA.
Agency sources said the Enforcement Directorate had kept two doctors and an ambulance on standby on July 21 as a humanitarian aid. The central agency also allowed Sonia’s daughter and party leader Priyanka in its office.

Protests over ED’s summons to Sonia; 75 Congress MPs detained
Congress leaders held protests in different parts of the country over the ED’s summons to the interim chief of the party. 75 Congress MPs and several workers, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, were detained by the Delhi Police for protesting against the questioning of the party chief.
Senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram, Ajay Maken, Manickam Tagore, KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot and Harish Rawat. Ashok Gehlot, K Suresh are also among those taken into custody.
Congress protests turned violent in Bengaluru after Youth Congress workers allegedly torched a car in front of the ED office. Congress workers also stopped a train and blocked the railway track at Shivaji Bridge railway station in New Delhi.
Chandigarh Police also used water cannons to disperse Congress workers and leaders as they had resisted questioning.
Sonia’s session with ED postponed twice
The ED had on June 1 summoned Sonia Gandhi to appear before its investigators on June 8 for the first time in a money laundering case involving the National Herald.
The agency had issued similar summons to the investigators of Sonia Gandhi on June 8 and again on June 21.
Sonia could not appear for questioning after testing positive for Covid-19 and being hospitalized due to it. The Congress leader developed a mild fever on the evening of June 1 and was tested positive for COVID-19 the next morning. After being discharged from the hospital, he had sought more time to appear before the agency.
The ED wants to record Sonia’s statement under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Rahul questioned for more than 5 days
Congress leader and son of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi questioned at ED office National Herald case For over 50 hours spread over five days.
During interrogation of Rahul, the ED had sought details of transactions and verifiable documents to substantiate the Congress’s claim that it had given National Herald’s publisher Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) to meet its expenses and fulfill its obligations. 90 crore was paid for. employees.
In 2010, the Gandhi family launched Young Indian, which took over the entire debt of Rs 90 crore owed to AJL. However, later investigation revealed that YI paid only Rs 50 lakh instead of Rs 90 crore and yet Congress agreed to transfer the entire stake of the company to Young Indian and settle the entire account.
Sharing the details of his interrogation, Rahul said: “I was made to sit in a small dark room. Three ED officials were questioning me. They used to leave the room to take instructions but I was sitting in the chair for a long time. But sat down and patiently answered all his questions.”
Treat ED’s inquiry as a medal: Rahul
Taking a jibe at the Centre, Congress leader Rahul earlier this month said that he sees his interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case “like a medal”.
Addressing a public meeting at Vandoor in Kerala’s Malappuram, Rahul said he was not worried and accused the BJP-led government of using investigative agencies against its political rivals.
“After I left, I was wondering why they questioned me only for five days, why not for 10 days. I thought maybe I was not strongly opposing them… It is quite clear that Joe Anyone opposing BJP faces ED. I look at my five days of questioning as a medal, and I hope they do it again 3,4,5,6,10 times.”
National Herald case
The case to probe alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered nine months ago after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax Department investigation based on a private criminal complaint filed by a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP in 2013. Had taken. ,
The petitioner had approached the court alleging that the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper, were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian Private Limited (YIL), including Sonia And his son owned 38 percent of the shares. each.
The promoters of YIL include Sonia and Rahul. Swamy had alleged that the Gandhi family had cheated and misappropriated funds, YIL gained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore by paying only Rs 50 lakh, which AJL owed the Congress.
Congress argued that under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956, YIL was a non-profit company that could neither accumulate profits nor pay dividends to its shareholders.